


For The Sake Of Auld Lang Syne

by impish_nature



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Auld Lang Syne, Gen, Old Traditions, heart to heart, new years fic, slightly late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 07:18:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9167926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impish_nature/pseuds/impish_nature
Summary: It’s New Year’s Eve and two old men in a little boat in the middle of the ocean try to have a heart to heart around an old tradition.





	

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I wasn’t going to write a New Year fic this time round but Auld Lang Syne has been stuck in my head for two days and this seemed like a good idea to get it out again ♥ Happy New Year guys!

There was a quiet hum of peaceful chatter in the cabin of a small boat way out to sea, the hush of the night giving way to soft lamplight and warm drinks inside.

A small radio, quietly droning, sat next to the two old men as they talked about old times and the kids that had passed out on video chat a few hours before. Time zones were hard at the best of times but the pair couldn’t help chuckling at their dedicated attempt.

“What’s the time now, Sixer?”

“Almost time, we’ve got about 10 minutes. What do you want to do?”

Stan grinned mischievously. “Fireworks.”

“We don’t _have_ any fireworks.” Ford shook his head, trying not to smile along with him. “Though I wish we’d thought about it now.”

“Well, neither of us actually remembered until a few days ago when the kids asked if we’d be back in time.” Stan couldn’t help the smile drooping guiltily and slightly disappointedly. If they had known a little bit earlier they could have sailed down and got to them in time for New Year’s, he was certain of it.

A hand fell on top of his as he cupped both hands around his warm drink.

“They understood.” Ford smiled knowingly. “And besides! We got to spend time with them still! This will definitely be a New Year’s to remember what with them finding a way to let us celebrate with them!”

Stan nodded, his smile sliding back. “Yeah true, was fun watching them with party poppers and dancing about. Surreal to celebrate New Year’s hours before it happens for us though.”

“Yeah, it’s too quiet now, like it’s already over and done with.”

“Nah, just means we’ve got to keep the celebrations going.” Stan stood up, grabbing a flask to tip a small amount in his coffee before offering it to Ford. “Got to toast the New Year in, don’t we?”

Ford took it without argument. “True, besides, we’ve got to come up with a good story to tell the kids.” He gestured to the laptop that had since disconnected with inactivity, though they had managed to get a few pictures of the two adamant ‘we’ll stay up for your New Year’s too!’ sleepers before the connection failed on them. “Something amazing they missed when they fell asleep.”

“I like your thinking! How about-”

The music on the radio stopped, a small countdown starting that Ford turned up quickly. They stopped what they were doing, counting down with it as if they were part of the crowd in the nearby port that were celebrating.

The small thrill of the moment took over as they glanced at one another, bright exclamations leaving them both. “Happy New Year!”

“We don’t even have party poppers! What kind of celebration is this?”

“Mabel sent us some more letters we haven’t had chance to open yet. I’m sure if we opened them it would count, who knows what confetti is inside this time. We could-”

“After last time? No thanks, I’d like to be able to drink my coffee without making my tongue glittery thanks.”

The pair burst into giggles, the sound ringing around the room and into the stillness of the night, not that it mattered, no one was near enough to hear.

They quietened down after a moment, a soft quiet hush taking over as they continued to listen to the celebrations on the radio.

“A new year, huh?” Was all Stan managed to say, quiet and poignant against the stillness. Ford made a soft noise of agreement with him as they raised their cups to one another and took a sip. They didn’t need to say much more, it was hard to think of the right way to word it anyway.

So many years had gone by without celebration, just another day in the calendar.

This felt like a better one.

Ford looked up as he thought he heard Stan go to speak and instead heard a soft hum emanating from him as he stared out of the window, eyebrows furrowed as if his mind was far away. He listened quietly for a few seconds with a smile until he realised what song it was, singing along to the melody.

“ _Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, for the sake of auld lang syne?”_

Stan stopped his humming, a cheekiness to his voice. “You still remember that old song?”

“This isn’t the only dimension that celebrates with it, you know.”

“Huh, for some reason I hadn’t thought about the multiverse, or whatever it is, having the same songs.”

“Oh, believe me, a few of the songs Mabel threw at me were jarringly familiar and different all at once. This particular New Year’s song though doesn’t really change at all when it is present.”

The smile that had grown as Ford joined in vanished to a perplexed grimace. “You know I’ve never understood why that song is a New Year’s tradition.”

“You started it.”

“Yeah, habit, I guess. But it’s kind of sombre, isn’t it? That’s all.”

“Hmm…” Ford shrugged, taking another sip as he thought about it. “I always thought it meant remembering the good things that have happened? That makes it perfect for a New Year’s song, doesn’t it?”

“What if you didn’t have a good year though?”

Ford blinked, stomach clenching as he looked up at his brother who was still staring out the window, mildly frowning. He wouldn’t blame him if he thought the last year had more bad than good considering Weirdmaggedon and their more than frosty reunion, but he had hoped that the end of the year might have proved otherwise. It had for him, it had all been worth it in the end for him. “Stan?”

Stan shook his head slightly, turning to Ford. His eyes widened at his worried expression, his hands leaving the cup on the table to wave around as his face became alarmed. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just generally?” He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his head. “I mean good things happened sure, but a lot of bad happened too, right?”

Ford relaxed, nodding along with him. “Right, yes of course.”

“And I mean other years were… not so great.” Stan looked down at his drink again, swirling it slightly. “I never knew whether the song was telling me to forget or to keep remembering the good and the bad.” He snorted, tapping at his head as he shook off the conversation. “Whatever, didn’t get much choice in that department, did I?”

Ford gave him a scathing look for the joke before continuing. “I think the song works still then. I always saw it as – perhaps not forgetting old acquaintances, but not dwelling on them if they were bad memories. Focus on the good memories and use them to continue onwards into the New Year.”

“Yeah? You think it’s that simple?”

“Maybe not, but we can try, right?”

“What about Bill?”

Ford winced but raised a hand when Stan looked ready to apologise. “As I said, not forgetting, but just not dwelling. I’ve spent far too long focusing on… him. It’s time to start a new chapter that doesn’t involve him.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

“Alright then, New Year’s resolution, Bill doesn’t get to have a part of this one. And besides-” Ford leaned in conspiratorially so that Stan leaned in with him, eyebrow raised curiously.

“I’d rather focus on having met the kids.”

Stan laughed, a giddy sound as he nodded along. “I’d rather you focused on that too!”

“As for you.” Ford hummed thoughtfully, nodding to himself as Stan tilted his head. “A lot of bad did happen, not anything we’ll be forgetting any time soon- don’t say a word.” He glared as Stan went to speak cheekily, finger already pointed at his own head. “No. No more memory jokes. All I was going to say was that it was a tough year but we got through. You saved the world, Stan and now look at us. I’d say we ended last year pretty well.”

Stan rolled his eyes. “ _We_ saved the world.”

“If you say so.” Ford shrugged, his own cheeky grin sliding up his face. “But if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have the choice to put Bill behind me and start this New Year afresh, would I? Would any of us?”

“I thought you weren’t dwelling on all that anymore?”

Ford huffed playfully, raising his hands in defeat. “Alright, no more Bill talk. That’s it, he’ll never darken our lives again.” Stan nodded fervently, Ford sensed his moment to strike. “Cause of you.” He chuckled as Stan’s smile dropped into another endearing and exasperated eye roll. “So I hope you don’t dwell on any of it either.”

Stan shook his head with a smile. “Nah, I got you back, didn’t I? Don’t wanna forget that anytime soon.”

“No, I don’t want to either.”

There was quiet for a bit longer as they both drank some more, it felt like it should be far later than it was, a heart to heart in the middle of the night but somehow mere minutes had passed.

“I don’t think it just means remembering last year though.”

“Hmm?”

Ford continued on, not quite able to let up yet. “Well it’s talking about old times, isn’t it? Remembering better times, you know?”

Stan gave a small sad twist of a smile. Ford found himself waiting for him to look up again from his drink but Stan didn’t seem able to meet his eye. “I remember one year I found my way to a pub where everyone was celebrating. Couldn’t really join in all that much but it was nice to be surrounded by it all. It was nice, thinking about celebrations we’d had as kids, when we tried to stay up late and conked out on the sofa, that kind of thing. I remember sitting and hoping the next year would be better. Did you ever-” He laughed slightly, still not looking at Ford but the sound filtered away quickly as he coughed. “Doesn’t matter, just yeah, I get you. Good memories, the song makes more sense now.”

“I did it too.” Ford answered the question, knowing what Stan had meant to ask. “There wasn’t much to celebrate on the other side of the portal. I found myself wistfully thinking of better New Year’s whenever they came about.”

“Yeah?” Stan stared at him thoughtfully, almost doubtfully. “You and Fiddlenerd have some good celebrations at college?”

Ford punched him, rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to say no because they were good but I didn’t mean that! Even at college it was weird not having you beside me.” He took a sip of his drink, feeling Stan’s eyes on him. He gave a sigh as he realised Stan was still sceptical. “I missed you, knucklehead, even if I was angry at you. And I did the same when I was in other dimensions. Found a small celebration in a town centre to join in with and saw kids running about the crowd, made me think of that year Ma took as to see the fireworks and we got told off for getting too close.”

“I remember! Cause you wanted to see how they were made and how long they took to go off!” Stan beamed, amused by Ford’s indignant reaction.

“If I recall correctly, _you_ wanted to set one off!”

“For science, Poindexter.” Stan straightened his back, trying hard to look serious and not dissolve into laughter.

Ford choked on his drink. “For science! Yeah, right! Ma didn’t believe you then and I sure as hell don’t believe you now.”

“Well, what _you_ wanted to do was for science.”

Ford huffed playfully as they fell into companionable silence again. The song rang through his head and he couldn’t resist continuing it as they sat, Stan more amicable to the song now.

_“We two have run about the slopes. And picked the daisies fine. But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.”_

 “I get it, I get it, you can stop singing now.” Stan shook his head in amusement. “Remember good old times, don’t dwell on the bad, got it.”

“Not until you sing along with me.” Ford stuck out his tongue cheekily before continuing.

_“We two have paddled in the stream. From morning sun till dine. But seas between us broad have roared, since auld lang syne.”_

“Well unlike a nerd I know, I don’t know all the verses.” Stan rolled his eyes. “Besides, it’s kind of the sea that’s brought us here so we probably shouldn’t blame her for anything. I’d rather not get the boat wrecked now.”

“You’re no fun.” Ford whined, flopping back in his chair.

“When did you get so sappy and sentimental anyway? All this talk of memories.”

Ford snorted, resting his gaze back on Stan. He didn’t point out that memory was a particular sticking point this year as it was. “Says the one that asked all the questions in the first place tonight.”

“Hey! I just wanted to know what made it a good New Year’s song when it’s talking about the past and not about the future.” Stan held up his hands as Ford went to protest again. “Yeah, I get it now- ‘cause an old sentimental nerd has explained it to me.”

“It’s about making sure the next year is better.” Ford managed to get out before Stan could stop him, preening as Stan sighed in defeat and went back to his drink. “Not dwelling on the things we can’t change now but focusing on what we can do to make this next year better.”

“No use crying over spilt milk?” Stan looked up at him again, face warring with whether he should say anything more.

Ford knew what he wanted to ask though, about old grudges and arguments, things that went wrong when they needn’t have. But that wasn’t what New Year’s was about. It was about new beginnings and remembering those things, but not dwelling on them. Looking towards the future with hope.

“ _For auld lang syne, my dear. For auld lang syne. We’ll take_ -” Ford grinned, chinking their cups together where Stan still held his against the table, making sure he was looking back up at him. _“-a cup of kindness yet, for the sake of auld lang syne.”_

“Heh. For the sake of auld lang syne.” Stan smiled into his drink as Ford’s own seemed to grow at his response. He raised the cup for long enough to take a sip before cradling it again.

“You think we’ll be able to see any fireworks from here?”

“Always worth a look.” Stan stood up as Ford beamed, scurrying out of the cabin on to deck, a childish gleam to his eyes. Stan couldn’t help the chuckle that left him, shaking his head as he grabbed his hat and followed suit.

He paused at the door, glancing back at the cabin with a soft little smile, his mind still on the last few New Years he’d had. “This year’s already looking up.”

“What was that? You coming or what, old man?”

“Oi. Look who’s talking.”

“Oh! Stan! I’m sure I just saw one! You’re going to miss them, come on!”

 “Alright, you big kid, I’m coming, I’m coming.” Stan laughed, shaking his head as he closed the door and joined his brother at the railing to see the New Year in.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Not a universal tradition but uhh- I thought it had a good message, especially with how last year went for a lot of us.  
> I also might interpret the song a bit differently than it’s meant to be but I hope you guys liked this! I thought it might be fitting that was all c:


End file.
